Electric toy



Patented July 1, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD FODEBARO, OF SCBANTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRIC TOY.

Application filed March 18, 1924. Serial No. 700,122.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it lmown that I, EDWARD FODERARO, a citizen of the United States, residing at Scranton, in the county of Lackawanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Electric Toy, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to electric toys and more particularly to toy trains of that type adapted to be operated electrically over a track utilizing a conductor or third rail.

One of the objects of the invention is to equip the toy locomotive" with a switch adapted to be operated by the relative movement of the locomotive and the car coupled thereto so as to automatically-reverse the current whenever the locomotive is brought to an abrupt stop, so that the next movement of the locomotive when current is directed thereto will be in a direction opposite to that in which it was previously travel- Another object is to provide reversing mechanism controlled solely by the switch used for making and breaking the circuit through the conductor rail.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and-claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of theinvention herein disclosed may be made within the scope ofwhat is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the mvention has been shown.

In said drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a toy electric train embodying the present improvements.

Fig. 2 is a view showing in diagram the switch mechanism and controlling circuit.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the automatic switch. I

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section there'- through showing the switch in one position.

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the switch in another position.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the movable member of the switch.

Fig. 7 is a section on line 7-7, Fig. 4.

Fig. 8 is a section on line 8-8, Fig. 5.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates the usual track rails -manner and which has been indicated atv 2. A battery or transformer 3 is electrically connected to the rails 1 and 2, one of the connections including a switch 4 whereby the circuit through the rails can be opened or closed.

An electric locomotive has been indicated gpnerally at L and is provided with a motor of the usual type. Spring arms 5 are extended, downwardly from the locomotive along diverging lines and carry rolling contacts 6 adapted to bear yieldingly upon the rail 2. These contacts are electrically connected to the motor as shown at 7 and mounted for rotation on the locomotive is a cylindrical switch member 8 formed of conducting material and mounted for rotation about its longitudinal center. An arm 9 is extended radially from this cylinder and formed longitudinally in the periphery of the cylinder is a recess 10 containing an insulating material 11 in which is mounted a contact strip 12 projecting from the periglllery of the cylinder.

ounted at a suitable point on the locomotive and insulated from each other are resilient contact strips 13, Hand 15. The strip 13 has its free end upturned while the free ends of the strips 14 and 15 are bowed as shown at 16.

The cylinder 8 is electrically connected to the running gear of the locomotive as shown at 17. The intermediate strip 14 is electrical connected, as at 18 to the motor while the strips 13 and 15 are connected at 19 and 20 respectively to the respective brushes 21 and 22. A slide 23 is mounted on the locomotive and is engaged by the arm 9, this slide being movable within a suitable guide 24 as shown. One end of the slide projects beyond the locomotive and is preferably downturned as shown at 25 where it is slidably engaged by a coupling member 26 extending from a car C adapted to be propelled by the locomotive. As shown in Fig. 1 the downturned portion 25 project's between the bumper 27 of the car C and the downturned end 28 of the coupling 26.

When the cylinder 6 is at one extreme position, as shown for example in Fig. 4, the contact strip 14 and the strip 15 are in engagement with the strip 12 while contact strip 13 is in engagement with cylinder 8. This arrangement of parts has been shown in Fig. 2. Thus when the switch 4 is closed a current will fiow from the battery 3 or transformer to the rail 1 and thence to the motor and to the strip 14. From this strip the current will pass through strip 12 to contact 15 and thence to brush 22, through the armature to brush 21 and thence to strip 13, cylinder 8 and rail 2, thereby completing the circuit. The operation of the motor thus produced will result in the forward movement of the locomotive in the direction indicated by the arrow a in Fig. 4. When it is desired to stop and reverse the locomotive the switch 4 is shifted to break the circuit. Thus the locomotive will come to a stop and the car C willmove forwardly relative thereto and bring its bumper 27 against the end 25 of slide 23. Consequently said slide will be shifted to the position shown in Fig. 5. This will bring the strip 13 into engagement with strip 12 and bring the, arched portion 16 of. strip 15 over and out of contact with strip 12 with the end of the contact strip 15 bearing on cylinder 8. Consequently the circuit through the motor will be reversed and the locomotive will be caused to move in a direction opposite to that in which it was formerly traveling. This movement of the locomotive will continue until the circuit is again broken by means of switch 4, whereupon the relative movement of the car and locomotive will result in a reversal of the movement of slide 23 and another reversal of the current through the motor.

It is tobe understood that any kind of switch can be used for opening and closing the circuit between the rails. It is to be understood that any suitable resistance may be used in connection with the switch 4 so as to enable the operator to gradually turn current on or oil. When this is done the switch carried by the locomotive will not be reversed and the train will continue in the same direction in which it has been moving each time the current is turned on. By abruptly shutting off the current, however, the switch carried by the locomotiveed for movement relative to the locomotive,

of means for directing a current to the motor of the locomotive, and means operated by the relative movement of the locomotive and car for reversing the current through the motor.

' 2. The combination with a locomotive including an electric motor, and a car coupled to and mounted for movement relative to the locomotive, of means for'opening and closing an electric circuit to the motor, and means operated by the relative movement of the locomotive and car during the start-' ing or stopping thereof for reversingthe current through the motor.

3. The combination with a locomotive including an electric motor, and a car coupled to and mounted for movement relative tothe locomotive, of a switch included in a -pircuit with the motor, means for opening and closing said circuit, and means operated by the relative movement of the car and locomotive for shifting the switch to reverse the current.

1. The combination with a locomotive, a switch for reversing a current, and an electric motor in circuit with the switch and controlled thereby, of means for openin and closing a clrcuit to the switch and motor, and means operated by the stopping of the locomotive when moving in either direction for shifting the switch to reverse the current to the motor.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, have hereunto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD FODERARO.

Witnesses NICHOLS SANGIULIANO, J OSEPH SANZERO. 

